Artificial Intelligence dalam Pendidikan Tinggi Vokasi:Penguatan Etika Profesional dan Karakter Mahasiswa di Era Digital

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has brought significant changes to learning processes in higher education, including vocational higher education, which places a strong emphasis on competency development and students’ readiness to enter the workforce. The use of AI provides opportunities to improve access to learning resources, personalize learning experiences, increase the efficiency of task completion, and develop students’ digital skills. However, the use of AI also presents several challenges, including technological dependence, plagiarism, reduced learning autonomy, privacy concerns, and the potential weakening of academic integrity and students’ sense of responsibility. UNESCO emphasizes that the use of AI in education should be human-centered, safeguard human agency, and address ethical and security considerations. This literature-based study aims to conceptually analyze the role of AI in vocational higher education and identify strategies for strengthening students’ professional ethics and character in the digital era. The study employs a literature review method by analyzing relevant scholarly articles, research findings, and policy documents concerning AI in higher education, vocational education, academic ethics, integrity, and character education. The literature was analyzed using a descriptive-analytical approach to identify key themes, opportunities, challenges, and principles for the responsible use of AI. The findings of the review indicate that AI has considerable potential to support competency-oriented vocational learning and respond to the evolving needs of the workforce. However, its implementation needs to be accompanied by the strengthening of ethical dimensions and the role of human agency in the learning process. The findings further indicate that AI should be positioned as a learning support tool rather than a substitute for students’ thinking processes and personal responsibility. Character development through the cultivation of honesty, responsibility, discipline, trustworthiness, independence, and academic integrity is therefore essential for developing the professional readiness of vocational students. Thus, the transformation of AI-based higher education should be directed toward achieving a balance among digital competence, professional competence, and ethical character, enabling graduates not only to use technology effectively but also to use it responsibly in academic settings and the workplace. Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, vocational higher education, professional ethics, character education, academic integrity, digital era